The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-03-09
The Way His Mother Did.

The Way His Mother Did.
l cured my jeremiah of thinking that
he could cook jest as his mother did
easy enough. Says | at the breakfast
table one morning:
jeremiah, billed my meat yester-
day, and if you'll bring in that jug of
cider molasses that you put into the
ice-house to keep cool through the
summer I'll make up my mince pies
to-day"
A simple remark enough, and inno-
cent, but who can tell what q word may
bring forth!
&C. WISH" says the partner of my
joys, and (when he can't dodge them)
of my sorrows, " / wish could taste of
some of my mothers pies again. Them
was pies as was pies"
Now | know that if Philura Jane
Jones can do one thing better than
another, it is to make a mince pie, but
/ kept calm outwardly.
Chow was they made?" says l.,
"what was the ingregrences?"
WALL" says he, " used to watch
her, an if you'd hear to me, l believe
/ could tell you jest how. Hi wasn't
they good, though? 1 yum, believe ]
could make 'em myself"
''Perhaps you'd BETTER" says |, coolly
81 can" says he, San declare for all
irwin to boss a woman round-I will"
| couldn't help but laugh to see him
go to work. got him my big check
apron, and tied it on. | brought out
the flour, and the lard, and the salera-
tus, and the salt, and the spice draw,
and the sugar box. jeremiah he went
out and got the cider molasses. The
meat and apples was already on the old
table.
"There," says jeremiah, "now I'll
show you something about pies"
said nothing, but went to washing
up the breakfast dishes and sweeping
up.
81 don't get to baking so early as
this, generally" says l. " You've got
good start"
go, yes" he answered in his gayest
tone, "t'won't be no time afore ! have
them pies all settin' in row on the
buttery-shelf. Haint you got no sour
milk?"
"Why yes" says 1, /" but you don't
want it for mince pies"
Who's maxim these pies?" says he.
"My mother always used to make sour
milk pie-crust, and l believe it would
taste good once more"
So | brought the sour milk. He
dipped out about two quarts of it into
my big yellow mixing dish.
Where's the short'nin?" says he.
"There's the lard, and there's the
butter here if you'd rather have it,
Ny mother used lard" says he
Where's dish to melt it in?"
/ got him dish.
Most folks rub their shortening into
the -four" says l.
" My mother didn't" says he. As
1 said before, who's maxim these pies?
If you are, I'll 60 out and mend the
fence. If l am"
] won't say another word" says |
"I've had some experience in managing
an opinionated pardner, before"
He stirred his melted lard into his
sour milk, and it rose to the top in little
Jumps. Then he began to stir in flour
see he hadn't put in any saleratus, blu
knew him too well TO venture to say so
Jeremiah Jones sometimes needs to at
tend the school kept by experience.
He stirred and stirred and stirred
When he finally got it thick enough
there was batter enough, such as it was
to make several dozen pies.
"These pies are goin' to be so good,
says he, 9" l will make up lot of them
Where's the pie-plates?"
| brought them to him all buttered
and he begun to roll out his crust. B,
this time it was so thick that it coulC
scarcely be induced to roll out at all
but he worked nobly. When he 90
his first piece rolled down to about al
inch in thickness he stopped and looked
at it.
81 like good thick crust, myself,
says he. "An inch thick amt to-
much for real juicy inside"
"No," answered, comforting my
self with the thought that his crus
wouldn't rise up to call him blessed
the way most sour milk crusts do. B,
the time he had rolled out four unde
crusts, and used perhaps one-eighth o
his batter, he laid down his rolling pin
'Shan't chop your meat for your
says |.
"No, stree !" says he. "Who'
maxim these pies? wish you hadn'
chopped the apples. I've got an oven
full rolled out, and now I'll make tn
inside. Where's the choppin'-tray 2"
"Did your mother have somebody t.
hand her things, or did she get ther
herself ?" says L, good-naturedly, hand
ing him the tray and chopin knife.
He put all his meat, some four or fiv
pounds, into the tray at once, and be
gan to chop. He chopped, and h
chopped, and he chopped, and still grea
masses of whole meat kept coming
the surface. After three-quarters {
an hour of hard work he had got it S
there wasn't any pieces more than on
and half inches square and two inche
thick, though there was plenty that bis
Then he went for the molasses jug.
"You amt going to call that fin
enough for the meat" says |.
Course it's fine enough" says HI
"Takes the life all out of mince-mei
4. l. Il; tos h, "a TOO, E,,a